free entry
children under 10 years of age, school pupils and grammar schools under 10 years in a class accompanied by a teacher (school accredited by the Schools Network of CR), basic and secondary school teachers accompanying the students on the joint examination of class, journalists, CK guides accompanying a group of tourists, members of Friends of UPM, INSEA members, cardholders of AMG, NPÚ, ICOM, UHS, students of art schools and art history, art, organized expeditions of AVP.
The claim must be accompanied by a valid certificate.

History
A late Classicist chateau in the centre of town with remains of the original castle. The original castle from the 13th century was rebuilt in the mid—16th century and again between 1580 and 1583; the tower above the gate was completed in 1744. At the beginning of the 19th century the chateau was rebuilt by a grandfather of the poet R. M. Rilke, F. Rilke. The principal Classicist reconstruction was carried out in the years 1839—1842 by Jakub Rudolf Geymüller. The Geymüllers were the last private owners of the chateau. In 1945, the chateau was converted to a children sanatorium. The sanatorium was closed down in 1998 and the chateau came under the administration of the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague. In view of the new mission of the chateau it underwent a general reconstruction from 1999 to 2004. The chateau was measured and detailed research for restoration was carried out, after which the prominent expert Jiří Škabrada conducted historical research from 1998 to 1999, which explained the development stages of the building. Special attention was paid to the oldest part of the building—the medieval castle of Lords of Kamenice; remains of the walls were discovered during repairs of the courtyard. A valuable discovery is a large Renaissance hall in the Eastern wing and a large Gothic hall, used at the time of the operation of the sanatorium as a boiler room.

The Present
The Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague decided to build study depositories in the chateau in order to make them accessible to common visitors and also use the new premises for displays. There is an exhibition of artistic smithery Wrought Ironwork from the Collections of the Museum of Decorative Arts. The exhibition of metals starts in the Renaissance hall and it is the first specialized permanent exhibition of this beautiful craft. In the first section it presents samples of medieval, Renaissance and Baroque grilles, railings, chests and coffers with complicated locking mechanisms. In the second room there are sets of historical locks, knockers, ironmongery and keys from the Romanesque period up to the 19th century. In the third section there is wrought ironwork by teachers and students of the Specialized School for Art Metalwork in Hradec Králové from the artistic peak of the school in the period 1895—1914. The 20th century is represented by two pieces by contemporary craftsmen.
In each hall there is an interactive program, thanks to which visitors can try out the mechanisms of locks and knockers as well as put a wrought dragon into motion.

The exhibition premises of the Museum of Decorative Arts also feature the exhibition The Past and the Future. The exhibition outlines in the form of reproductions of extant documentation a brief history of the chateau and the town of Kamenice nad Lipou, mentioning the previous owners, mapping the development of the building and mainly presenting the latest building and historical research in the years 1999—2004. It compares the condition of the building before and after the reconstruction and briefly documents the progress of construction works leading to the current form of the chateau.

In the underground of the chateau, the glass artist and sculptor Alena Matějková exhibits her monumental object A Journey to Externity. Its concept reminiscent of archaic architecture brings it close to the atmosphere of ancient rituals, Celtic striving to the source of life—the light. The work made of stone intentionally evokes menhirs and megalithic structures, which appeared centuries ago all over Europe. At the entrance the visitor is surrounded by a number of tall columns, which make him an integral part of the space. This fascinating object weighing several tons seems to be interconnected with the depth of the earth. Alena Matějková spent her childhood in Kamenice nad Lipou and now lives and works in the nearby village of Betlém.

A study depository of 19th and 20th century furniture from the collection of the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague

A visit has to be arranged by appointment with the chateau administration.

The first part of a study depository of furniture design from the collection of the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague was opened within the Days of European Heritage in the chateau in Kamenice nad Lipou, situated at the south-west corner of Bohemian-Moravian Highlands. After extensive reconstruction the chateau has been used for several years for exhibition and depository purposes, solving the inadequate capacity of museum depository. In addition to the Museum of Decorative Arts it is used by the Municipal Museum in Kamenice nad Lipou for a regional exhibition. The municipality of Kamenice nad Lipou takes care of the chateau park with a memorable linden tree; other premises host seasonal exhibitions and other cultural activities; there is a café with a summer terrace.

The first floor of the Eastern wing will gradually give access to the public to seven halls featuring 19th and 20th century furniture. This more or less chronological display, whose two halls opened on 15 September, is preceded in the connecting corridor by an “educational trail” of furniture design from its beginnings in the early 19th century. Eleven panels with text and photographs provide basic information on individual styles, significant foreign and domestic architects and designers and their realizations beginning from Biedermeier to the end of the 20th century. The texts are also available in English. Selected representative furniture has been installed on several stages along the panels throughout the entire corridor.

The purpose of this exhibition is to document key moments of inception and development of furniture design related to the transition from the individual handcrafted pieces to mass mechanical production during the 19th century: the influence of new technologies and materials to furniture design; the modern way of life impacting the typological construction of furniture; the enchantment by the plastics and subsequently their criticism; the role of individuals and specificity of national furniture schools in view of the new look of furniture design or, on the contrary, leveling the differences in the international style. We can find here the latest craze of Postmodernism as well as periodical comebacks of Functionalism, the dominance of the rational function as well as furniture conceived of as a work of art. The exhibition features icons of the world design, although often merely in replicas, as well as works by the youngest generation of Czech designers. This collection of the Museum of Decorative Arts, which is presented in this way to the public for the first time, is a result of a long-term collection activity of curators of the Museum of Decorative Arts, in particular Olga Herbenová, Milena Lamarová, Alena Adlerová and Věra Vokáčová, continued in the 1990s by Daniela Karasová.

The author of the scenario, selection of exhibited items and accompanying texts is Daniela Karasová; architectural layout has been designed by Karel Lapka; graphic design has been created by Jiří Sušanka.

A study depository of 19th and 20th century furniture in chateau in Kamenice nad LipouA study depository of 19th and 20th century furniture in chateau in Kamenice nad LipouA study depository of 19th and 20th century furniture in chateau in Kamenice nad LipouCourtyard of the Castle with the fountain